Familiarize yourself with the Compact Resident List and a variety of concepts and postal terminology frequently used when referring to saturation data
Resident/Occupant data allows for mailers to target geographically-focused addresses to saturate a given area with messaging. Ideal for non-targeted, non-personalized offers, Compact Resident List data can lead brand marketers to significant postal discounts. Data is sourced from the United States Postal Service®, has both U.S. Census® and consumer data overlays, and is updated monthly. Additional information on the Compact Resident List and associated postal terminology follows.
Concepts and Commonly Used Terminology
Computer Delivery Sequence Qualified
CDS, Computerized Delivery Sequence, is a postal product that USPS® customers may participate in if they have at least 90% of all delivery points within a specific zip code. Once certified, the USPS uses CDS to maintain the customer’s data by sending them bi-monthly or weekly updates. The Compact Resident List is CDS qualified. Compact receives their update from the USPS every week and updates are applied monthly.
Mailing Requirements
All Compact Resident List mailings must be completed within 90 days of purchase and can be mailed a maximum of four times within that same timeframe. Mailers are charged per mailing and do not receive a discount for mailing the list more than once.
Each list is delivered to the customer with a CASS™ (Coding Accuracy Support System) certificate that shows the addresses have been standardized to meet USPS requirements. The CASS certificate is an essential requirement to mailers seeking postal discounts and is only valid for 90 days. CASS certification ensures that:
- Standardizes addresses into the USPS preferred format
- Updates incorrect address abbreviations
- Corrects erroneous or adds missing ZIP Codes, ZIP+4 Codes, or carrier routes
Resident/Occupant data is not meant to be mailed First Class as some of the addresses are not deliverable via First Class Mail (drop addresses and simplified addresses).
Postal Presorts
Compact Resident Lists are delivered ready for mailing in walk sequence order. Mailers can then group the mailing by geographical region, bundle the mail in trays, and when the proper postal documentation is presented at the post office, receive significant discounts on their commercial mailing.
Walk Sequence
Carrier routes are the paths that letter carriers use to deliver mail to a specific area. Each address (or delivery point) in a carrier route has a walk sequence number. The walk sequence number designates which stop an address is on the carrier route. A complete postal carrier route code is nine digits long. The first five digits represent the ZIP Code, the sixth digit represents the type of route, and the remaining three digits are the carrier route code.
- C Routes: Carrier routes, city-style addresses
- R Routes: Rural routes, simplified addresses
- B Routes: Post office boxes
- G Routes: General delivery routes
- H Routes: Highway contract routes
Alternative Address Format
The Compact Resident List is prepared using the alternative address method. With the alternative address method, mail pieces are addressed using “Current Resident” for residential addresses and “Current Occupant” for business addresses. This type of addressing is considered to be Move Update compliant. Move Update is a USPS requirement that came into play in November 2008. Move Update requires mailers to update the addresses on their mailing lists every 95 days.
Personalization Capabilities
Approximately 70% of the Compact Resident List has a consumer contact name that can be used for personalization. These names are appended from Compact’s 250+ million record national consumer dataset.
Consumer Preference and Compact’s DND
The DND is Compact’s Do Not Deliver list. This is a list of consumers and businesses that have contacted Compact to be removed from their databases. The DND list acts as a suppression file and is applied with each update.
College Addresses
College addresses are often located within unique ZIP Codes and the USPS does not deliver mail to unique ZIPs. Colleges frequently deliver their own mail. Compact flags college addresses as they are identified. Please note that numerous unidentified college addresses are on the file.
Drop Addresses/Drop Stops
Drop addresses, which are also called drop tops or drops, are residences where multiple pieces are to be delivered. Most of these addresses have lock boxes where residents receive their mail. The USPS does not have to deliver bulk mail into the individual mailboxes, so bulk mail is often left for residents to pick up individually. Drop stops may also occur at gated communities and high rises. Please note that Compact limits drop addresses to a maximum of 20 records.
Seasonal Addresses/Seasonality
Seasonality is an indicator applied to an area known to have a presence of seasonal addresses. Seasonality dates are provided by the USPS and are focused on specific geographical areas, not specific consumers. Please note that you can select or omit seasonal addresses when building your count.
Simplified Addresses
Simplified addresses typically occur in rural areas where residents do not receive postal deliveries. They may use a communal mailbox or get their mail directly from the post office. Simplified addresses do not have house numbers and street names – an example would be Highway 29 North, Box 1, Labelle. Currently, less than 3% of addresses on the Compact Resident List are simplified. Please note that you can select or omit simplified addresses when building your count.
Throwbacks
A throwback is an address for a resident that has directed the USPS to deliver their mail to a PO Box instead of to their residence. Throwbacks are not delivered via standard class mail, but they are deliverable via First Class mail, as First Class mail offers forwarding. By default, Compact omits throwbacks from their Resident List.
Vacant Addresses/Vacancies
Vacancies are residences and/or businesses that are not currently occupied. The USPS does not consider an address to be vacant until it has been empty for 90 days.
“Only Way to Get Mail” (OWGM)
Only Way to Get Mail refers to a group of consumers that are only able to get mail through a Post Office Box as the USPS does not deliver mail to their home address.
Machinable Mail and Non-Machinable Mail
Machinable mail meets specific size, shape, and weight requirements and can be sorted by machine whereas non-machinable mail must be sorted by hand. Non-machinable mail may incur a surcharge for processing.
Automated Mail and Non-Automated Mail
An automated mailing receives reduced postage rates and faster delivery times. The USPS uses machines to process mailings, which saves a great deal of time and money. Mail that has not been barcoded or prepared as automated requires additional work by the post office, which translates to processing delays and additional postage costs.
Barcodes
There are two types of barcodes currently in use by the USPS – Postnet barcodes and Intelligent Mail barcodes (IMB). IMBs are the “next generation of barcodes” and will ultimately allow mailers to track each mail piece through the delivery process. The barcodes themselves are made up of a series of address elements that are represented by long and short bars that represent address components.
Mail Class Comparison
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About Compact
Compact Information Systems, a Deep Sync brand, drives successful campaign outcomes with highly customizable, privacy-first datasets. Compact’s masterful consumer, business, and residential compilations and deep industry relationships enable you to identify the specific audiences you desire with ease.
As always, we welcome your questions on our datasets and data-related products and services. For additional information or a consultation in support of your next marketing campaign, please feel free to contact our team.